What was wrong with the Gamecube?

[Icarus Moonsight]

It didn't help them much that they had superior ports when the comp had lessor ports plus games the GC didn't have. As a system, I preferred Cube over PS2 and Xbox. Games is where they took a beating though. You got a PS2 for the game library and your second system was an Xbox if you played online, or a Gamecube if you didn't care for that. Not too many people fall into the latter, and fewer still had all three. The software libraries all around was very me-too and same-ish, too much so to warrant that.

There wasn't anything particularly flawed with it. It was just the weakest shower in that environment. It had more potential than the rest, but actualized the least. It could be considered the Dreamcast's second-cousin, almost.

[fishsandwich]

Game cubes issue was it tried to create a arcade experience at home with games like
American 18 Wheeler Pro
Godzilla Destroys All Monsters Melee
ect ect ect

Wait... what?


?

[VACRMH]

For me at least, the Gamecube was the second or third system that generation. PS2 was king, so any title that was available on GC and PS2 I'd go for the PS2 version. So the only games left were exclusives, which often times was a first party title.

GC was to me, wholesome. Looking at the games I own for it, most of them are bright, colorful, happy. But last generation the games that were big were gritty, violent, fps and sandbox type games. Which is what most people flocked to.

I like what I own for the GC, and the controller wasn't too bad for me. As long as it wasn't like the N64 controller <_<

[fishsandwich]

... and a system that was harder to develop for than the PS2 or Xbox did it in.

Now, now... the GC has its problems but it is widely viewed as very easy to program, especially when compared to the PS2.


A sample...


"Developers’ reactions to GameCube development kits thus far have been overwhelmingly positive. As promised by Nintendo, the system is very, very easy to develop for (much easier, reportedly than Sony’s PS2)."


"With the exception of some extraneous sound applications, the GameCube's streamlined architecture is designed to perform all operations in hardware. In comparison, many of the onboard features of the GameCube hardware must be performed in software on the PlayStation 2, taking valuable processing power away from the CPU and GPU."


"The GameCube hardware has been a dream to develop for. Although some may argue that in architectural terms, GameCube isn't quite as powerful as PS2, GameCube is just so simple to get the power out of. Because of this, GameCube graphical quality at this moment is where the PS2 will probably be in 2 years time due to the massive learning curve involved in PS2 development. Some of our programmers have been developing PS2 games for over three years, and they are still a long way from the top of the learning curve of what it's good at, and what it's not. GameCube, on the other hand, is a case of what-you-see-is-what-you-get; it's great at some things, and less good at others, and it's as simple as that!"


http://www.armchairempire.com/Interv...conference.htm

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...o-distraction/


!

[j_factor]

PS2 may have a slight edge in sheer power, but Gamecube more than makes up for it with much superior texturing.

I liked Gamecube a lot more than N64. For a while, it was my favorite of the three then-current consoles. But it really took a nosedive late in its lifespan. It pissed me off when they canceled Unity and Kirby.

Gamecube didn't do as well because it lacked the heavy-hitters with mass-market appeal that the other two had, like GTA and etc. For me personally, it had just as many lesser-known games that were just as compelling. I would much rather play Beach Spikers than DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball or Outlaw Volleyball (probably because I care more about actual gameplay than bouncing CGI breasts and stupid gimmicks).

[Haoie]

Could anything stand against the might of the PS2? Nope.

Also did anyone notice that the Xbox had the shortest lifespan or what? Just saying. First in, first out with the 360 coming on.

[kupomogli]

-"Different" control scheme.

The only reason the Wii sold well to the non gaming market. Microsoft's Kinect is selling more XBOX consoles for the same reason. It's a gimmick that people are curious about.

[Zthun]

The controller for the GC wasn't the best. It had an akward layout. Both the N64 and GC didn't have great controllers.

The game library wasn't fantastic; it had its treasures, but it had the same problem that the N64 had. You just forget about it and move on to the other systems.

[Famidrive-16]

People hate the handle? wtf

[Icarus Moonsight]

I guess handles on consoles are a love/hate issue. I thought it was pretty cool being able to tote a GC around like a coffee mug dangling from your pinky finger.

[thegamezmaster]

I love the Gamecube. Had no problem with the controller. As far as third party support, the budget for developing just one game for one game was crazy. Not to mention "exclusive titles" for certain machines. And I don't lknow about anyone else but to me it doesn't make sense to use a game console to play DVD's. All it does is wear out the machine faster, plus when dvd players could be had for around $50 or so. I used to work in the a/v repair business years ago when laserdisc were big. And it was always the same story when someone would bring in a machine with a worn out laser. We would ask them "what do you play most on it?" The reply was always the same, "cd's" Just didn't make sense to play cd's on a machine that was at least $1000 and up, and with a repair bill for between $200 and $300. We'd tell them to just buy a cheapo cd player and just play laserdiscs on their machine. It's cheaper in the long run. to each their own I guess. Plus I love the gameboy player. Just my 2 cents.And I think part was the game makers still had a grudge for the N64,PSX, and other disc based systems, with Nintendo sticking with carts instead of lasers which eventually die.

[eskobar]

As I see it, the first problem with the GameCube was its original color ....

The machine already looked like a kid's toy and the purple color just made it more apparent. It was very hard to market something like that to another consumers, because PS2 had a very avant-garde desing and the Xbox .... well, it just looked good for people who liked microsoft and tech specs.

PS2 was marketed for anyone, from parents that want to have fun with games/dvd's and still be able to get games for their kids.

Xbox was marketed for anyone that liked good graphics and wanted online gaming, pretty much a slimmed down but useful "PC".

And the Cube was marketed for kids .... and it delivered a great experience for them and obviously teenagers and adults wanted the console because many of them had grown with the NES or SNES.

The color problem was issued immediately and the "kid" image too, but it was just a bit too late. I liked the Cube, it had many great games but i just didn't love it like past consoles.

It was a powerful console and was easier to develop compared with the Ps2 ...

The controller felt good but multiplatform titles suffered with the button layout ...

The media was much better than N64 with 1.5Gb on the MiniDVD but still less than the 4.5 Gb of a DVD ...

3rd party support was limited ...


I just remember the cube for Resident Evil Remake, Resident Evil Zero, The Legend of Zelda games, Metroid Prime, Rogue Squadron II, Tales of Symphonia and Resident Evil 4.

[SamuraiSmurfette]

My biggest Gripe: The controller.
It looks like a robot threw up on a boomerang.

[Greg2600]

Gamecube had decent third party support, it got many of the games that the other systems did, most all the EA stuff. Graphics were definitely better than PS2, but not XBox.

[j_factor]

I never had a problem with the GC controller. The d-pad is crap, but I have a Hori digital controller for 2D games. The B button really should've been shaped like the X and Y buttons, but it's not too horrible. Otherwise it's pretty comfortable, and I liked the triggers.

And who really cares about the color? I'm pretty sure black was available from the launch of the system.

[Edmond Dantes]

What's wrong with consoles with handles? I used to love my PC-Engine....

[Famidrive-16]

And who really cares about the color? I'm pretty sure black was available from the launch of the system.

Yeah it was, my launch system I bought was black.

But, oh well, it's not worth mentioning if the faults of the Gamecube include "purple color" and "handle"

[Icarus Moonsight]

Their just pissed it didn't come in colors like fuchsia, mauve or puce. Making purple the flagship color was bold, given all the black we usually get. Gamecube was anything but neutral. It was a safety play though, and that's were it got it's ass tore up.

[eskobar]

I never had a problem with the GC controller. The d-pad is crap, but I have a Hori digital controller for 2D games. The B button really should've been shaped like the X and Y buttons, but it's not too horrible. Otherwise it's pretty comfortable, and I liked the triggers.

And who really cares about the color? I'm pretty sure black was available from the launch of the system.

Well, I just mentioned it because it seemed an important detail for me, but I am an Industrial Designer and tend to be a bitch with those details :P

And you are right, Jet Black was available since launch, but the campaign used the purple color

But even if some people don't care; it is a very important factor, but if you read my post, i gave more comments about its negative details.

[Streetball 21]

Gamecube was a good system, it was just overlooked because of the PS2 and XBOX. Also cause of the library, but as a Nintendo fan there were tons of good games lol...

[kedawa]

It's the console so nice Nintendo released it twice.

[Enigmus]

Ouick note on the Xbox's short market time- the 360 was rushed and the Xbox was discontinued because Nvidia stopped producing the GPU used in the Xbox in mid-2005, which meant no more units could be made beyond the remaining stock of GPUs. As for the Wii, the way Nintendo managed to upgrade the Gamecube in multiple ways really shows how versatile the GC's hardware is, especially considering that the technology is at least a decade old now. The controller was well designed, offering a comfortable grip without either slightly strenuous stick reaches like I've found the PS2 controller to have. Still, I believe Xbox may have been the best out of the group- powerful, online friendly, and even pushed things the others didn't such as 1080i video and true 5.1 channel audio. The PS2 just feels aging in comparison. That, and both GC and Xbox are practically built like tanks (I've seen broken PS2s, but I've never seen an Xbox or GC break down easily.)

[Spartacus]

I've always been impressed with what the Gamecube could do, even though it was designed from the onset to be a low cost machine. Not having a DVD player was one way to reduce costs and Nintendo's miniDVD format was a clever way to reduce piracy - something I fully support and always respected about Nintendo. I don't care about Nintendo's profitability per say, but I do care about working people getting paid for their work. But I must admit that I purchased a PS2 just to have a DVD player. Today I would never put the unnecessary wear and tear on the machine to just watch movies, but my daughter is still using her PS2 almost exclusively to watch movies with. She's not much of a gamer I guess.

I bought my first Gamecube after Nintendo removed the component out capability to further reduce costs on a Black Friday sale for $99. It came with Mario Kart and I could also choose any other Nintendo game of my choice for free. I took Zelda Four Swords and thought I'd gotten a great deal. I then asked to buy a used Gamecube because I wanted to buy an older version with the component out. Mind you, I live in a very rural area with a small population of people and I was simply STUNNED when they took me into the back of the store to pick out a used Gamecube. There was an entire wall filled with traded in Gamecubes stacked from floor to ceiling. I've often thought of all those people who were obviously disappointed with their Gamecubes. Some probably wanted to play Grand Theft Auto like their friends were, maybe some wanted to play Halo, and maybe some just grew tired of waiting for Twilight Princess.

I thought the Gamcube provided the most entertainment of any console of that era. I mean, only a company like Nintendo could show up at E3 and announce that what people really wanted to play was Pac-Man! Whoo Hoo!

Then we had Shigeru Miyamoto claim that he could have made Halo - if he had wanted to. So I suppose he could also claim that he could have been the first man to walk on the moon - if he had wanted to, using nothing more than his own flatulence as rocket fuel. Possible, possible, as the man is definitely full of something!

This nonsense could only be matched by Shinji Mikami's tantrum that Resident Evil 4 would ONLY be a Gamecube exclusive and never appear on Sony's PS2, a company he purposefully smeared as intentionally making console's that were easy to break. A comment seized upon and parroted ad nauseum by Nintendo's loyal fan base. The investor's - the people who actually paid for the development of Resident Evil 4 - ignored Mikami's rants, but I must say the game does look better on the Cube.

My Gamecube has been a reliable machine. I don't play it nearly as often as my Xbox or PS2, but it's never given me a single issue loading or reading disc's. I do respect Nintendo for making well-built hardware. The controller was never a problem for me. It's only slightly odd, but a huge improvement from N64's tri-winged discombobulation. It must have come as a shock for those who defend the N64 controller's as being "just fine" to see the Gamecube controller become two legged and slightly more like the Dual Shock design.

For most, the main purpose of having a Cube was to play Nintendo's first party software and those were undeniably the best sellers on the console. But I was never really big on Nintendo's classic cast of characters. But I was interested in the some of the oddball stuff the Gamecube offered like Cubivore, Animal Crossing, Pikmin and Odama. Plus I liked some of the stuff I was seeing coming from Nintendo of America's developers like Giest and Eternal Darkness. To top it off, the Gamecube had a nicely done updated version of Metal Gear Solid and an almost definitive collection of the Zelda and Resident Evil games. There were Metroid and Rogue Squadron games, Hell, the Gamecubes library was nothing you could turn your back on.

Another thing I liked about the Gamecube, and I don't know if this was just a mistake on Nintendo's part or what, but you could play imports using a simple boot disc, making it by far and away the easiest of the three to play Japanese exclusives. So I gladly picked up Kururin Squash, Mr. Driller Drill Land, Charinko Hero and a few others.

I know the Gamecube received a slew of badly ported games, but there were a few that benefited from the extra time the developer's had to make some improvements, such as...

4x4 EVO 2 received 5 extra trucks & 4 extra tracks

Conflict Desert Storm had changes made from player feedback that altered the gun-sight, improved enemy AI, revamped the inventory system, and added a Restart Level option

Dark Summit didn't have quite as much slowdown as the other versions

Midway Arcade Treasures 3 didn't have game save corruption problems as the others did

Prince Persia Warior Within had less framerate & sound issues than other versions

Star Wars Bounty Hunter had better framerate, less loading times and improved graphics

I don't think the Gamecube had any real problem other than Nintendo itself, which march's to the tune of a different drummer. Good for them!

[duffmanth]

The biggest reasons why the Gamecube failed was because of its lack of quality games. Aside from the first party Nintendo titles, it had virtually nothing from 3rd party studios that could compete with what the PS2, and to a lesser extent what the Xbox had to offer. The Cube was coming off the heels of the N64, which had very little to offer other than kid's games, and the Cube did nothing to fix that. The fact that it looked like a Fisher Price lunch box didn't help either. It just had the same batch of games as the N64, shit loads of game for kids, and very little for more mature audiences.

The PS2 and the PS1 had AAA games that appealed to everyone by the boat load. I also think Nintendo's decision to stay with cartridges with the N64 while everyone else was moving to CD's at the time, hurt them with the Cube as well. Even though the Cube was a disc based console, Nintendo lost a lot of 3rd party with the N64, and they never really gained it back with the Cube. Although I guess they've regained some 3rd party support with the Wii, but those games are still shitty for the most part.

[swlovinist]

I personally love the Gamecube. I bought it on relsease day, with a copy of Rogue Leader. I can think of about 25-40 Top quality games that make the Gamecube an excellent and inexpensive system to collect for. The Gamecube is a wonderful system that struggled I think to showcase what Nintendo is usually good at....innovation. The Gamecube to me is when Nintendo tried to follow trends instead of making them. The controller is probably what really got people frustrated with...even though it really is a pretty good controller. The disc size that Nintendo went with shot themselves in the foot to several third parties that wanted to make games for the system. In the end I consider the Gamecube as the system that I play occasionally for the A+ quality games that were exclusive to the system. I still play Rougue Leader Co-op with a friend on Rebel Strike on an occasional basis.